The Portland daily press., 1887-02-08
FOREIGN.
ParneII, in the Commons, Makes an
Amendment to the Queens
Speech.
He Supports the Amendment In an
Able and Eloquent Speech,
In Which He Severely Denounces the
Policy of Coercion.

LONDON, Feb. 7.-Mr. Parnell, in the
House of Commons this evening, moved an
amendment to the address in reply to the
Queens speech. The amendment is as fol-
lows: "The relations between the owners
and the occupiers of land In Ireland have
not been seriously disturbed in the cases of
those who granted their tenants such abate-
ments as demanded by the prices Of agricul-
tural and pastoral produce The remedy for
the crisis in the Irish Agrarian affairs will
be found not in an increased stringency of
criminal procedure, or in pursuit of such
novel, doubtful and unconstitutional meas
ures as those recently taken by Her Majes-
tvs government, but in such reform of law
and system Of government as will satisfy
the needs and secure the confidence Of the
Irish people,"
Mr.. Parnell maintained if the bill for the
stopping of eyictions, which he introduced
last session, had been passed, the condition
OF Ireland would have Ibeen greatly improv-
ed. The operation of the measure would eff
fectually prevent the present disturbed rela-
t1ons between landlords and tenants. The
blame for the present serious position of
Irish domestic affairs, rested with the gov
ernment. The government, despite this,
seemed about to renew the mistake of at
tempting coercion in Ireland. The speaker
solemhly warned the government ii they
again tried coercion they would again fail
as they always had failed when trying that
policy. Coercion would never bring about a
better state OF affairs in Ireland or assist in
establishing peaceful relations between the
two countries. II the governments propos-
ed alteration of the criminal procedure act
meant an act on the rights of Ir!shmen, the
Immediate result would be Sir Michael
Hicks-Beaeh, the Chief Secretary for Ire
land, and the Marquis of Londonderry, the
Viceroy. would find themselves rapidly de-
scending an inclined plane, and they would
soon come asking Parliament for more cOer-
ci0n. Sir Michael Hicks-Beach wished to
attack the authors Of the plan of campaign.
He thought to crush the plan by muzzling
his opponents and putting them into jail
All the past experience had shown that the
work OF suppression would only begin when
such things were done, for secret societies
wouldspring up, and agrarian and political
crimes would revive in the worst forms. The
government already had been guilty of un-
precedented action in the manner they had
conducted the prosecution of John Dillon.
They had been equally arbitrary in the
method employed to suppress the Sligo
meetings and in the adoption of the method
OF striking of Jurles in such way as TO ex-
clude Catholics. The speaker asked if any
government could expect a nation, three
f0urths of whose population were Catholics,
would be content to have no representation
OF their faith in the jury trials of their
country. Referring to the Glenbeigh evic-
tions, Mr.. Parnell declared the National
League never interfered until the work of
eviction was in full swing. As one who had
no responsibility in the bringing forward of
the plan Of campaign, he could speak freely
upon it. Many tenants. who now had a roof
over their heads, would have been cast out
M ha "a rNlo ho
reduction in the number of evictions the last
quarter Is mainly due to the plan. The gov
ernment had waited two months before de-
claring the plan illegal. Was it illegal.
That remained to be seen. The government
talked of robbery Of the landlords, forget
ting almost every title to Irish land was
founded upon wholesale robbery and confis-
cation. The bulk of improvements made by
tenants had been seized by landlords, for
getting almost every title to Irish land was
founded upon wholesale robbery and c0nfis-
cation. The bulk of improvements made by
tenants had been seized by landlords who
long had been robbing tenants of the pro-
duce of their labor and embezzling their
rights. Qrish cheers. Parnell went on to
condemn coercion as an incitement to con-
spiracy.
Even now, at the eleventh hour, if the
government refrained from the policy
Of evaporation and stopped the
infiction Of injustice by legal
enactlnentS ana system OIL repression
which has done more to demoralize Irish
tenants than all the Fenian agitators from
New York to San Francisco, If they would
give Ireland the power to do for herself,
what England seemed to have neither that
wish nor power to do, Ireland would show
by her laws, tranquility and prosperity how
unfairly she had been treated in the past
and how unjust was the assertion that the
Irish are not a law abiding people. (Cheers.)
p. Mcdonald. (Nationallst member for
North Sligo, seconded the amendment.
X. w. Hanbury, Conservative member for
Preston, suggested the establishment of a
sliding scale of rents.
Hon. III. Holmes, Attorney General for Ire
land, said the government was unable to ac-
cept single proposition contained in the
amendment. There had been fewer evic-
tions and rents had been more promptly
PAID TINS winter than for seven years previ-
GUS. These facts clearly proved that the re-
cent dispute between landlords and tenants
were not due to evictions.